Boost Your Balance; Avoid Falls

Exercises in 30s and 40s Can Keep You Steadier as You Age

By

Angela Chen

Feb. 24, 2014 6:23 p.m. ET

If you find yourself needing to sit down to take off your shoes, it might be time to start paying attention to your sense of balance.

People don't usually think about balance until they fall, but little signs such as relying on handrails to go up and down stairs can be early warnings that stability is starting to go, says Jason Jackson, a physical therapist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. These changes won't show up on the formal assessments that doctors use for people with balance disorders, such as the Berg and...